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One Shot: End of Cycle
Premise With a war raging the forces of the Alliance reach out to Raza for assistance, however, they do not get the reply they want. Characters * Alliance ** Commander Dia: A humanoid, female commander, ambitious and sees the technological advancements of Sol/Raza as the Alliance's property. * Solarion ** Steward: A small robot, left by Sol to see the running of Solarion, and its core. ** The Solarion Council: The leaders of the Solarbots *** Zeeke Solus: The female, green and grey leader. Highly distrustful of organics *** Moris Solus: The grey and black, leader, is very large and intimidating, but is neutral towards organics *** Vanis Solus: The Lavender and white male robot, believe his people need to learn to coexist with organics. ** The Solarbots: The renamed species of mechanoids that have taken up residence on Solarion, with Sol's blessing. * The Ragi: A reptilian race, or faction of it, known for being slavers and pirates. * Pending. Part 1 "Are you certain...?" asked the alien creature. It resembled a jelly fish, with a dome head, circuit lines all about and a circular flatscreen face showing approximate faces. of pixels and shapes. It stood behind a desk, while the commander sat in front of it. The room was a sterile white with a carpet, and cream colored furniture. Beside them was a window, that showed a cityscape stretching into the horizon, which curled and folded above them to come down on the other side. The Commander, was a female humanoid, with platinum hair and eyes, wearing a red and black uniform with a silver sash. "I am very certain." she replied "Raza's technology, it could sway the course of this war for us." "That was centuries ago, surely by now...?" "Yes, instead of lasers we have phasers, even now, no one has a working theory for what that beam her planetoid fired is, nor the energy detected from it. We still cannot build super robots like hers-" "Ah, but have, we-" "With all due respect sir, none of us can or have build anything past thirty feet and stable, and even with Super A.I.s their bodies are still not as hers. The fact remains, she can give us a massive boost to our technology." "Yes...the question is, will she give it. Our sensors have detected many pirate vessels and fleets entering the exile system, their wrecks now litter the area around her planet. She has also made it clear she wants to be left alone and we can think of no way of getting past her defenses at this moment." "Getting past them is not difficult, I've read the prior accounts. She seems to have a weakness for simple manners." "And humility, which, to be honest, you're not the most humble of creature." "I just need to not tick her off..." "Good luck with that..." "So..." "No." she looked annoyed. "As you said, we're barely any better of in comparison than a few centuries ago, how do plan not to get tick her off?" "She's not that violent you know...If she was, she wouldn't be quietly...I don't know, meditating on her little rock." "And if she says 'no'...?" "We leave, no worse than before, no fuss, no problems..." The two stared at each other. The commander looked out from her bridge to the shinning globe. The red sphere she had heard off, was now much larger than before, something approaching or just past the diameter of Earth, and covered in large patches of lavender that glowed and brown patches with hints of green. "What is all of that stuff...?" she asked. Her navigator in front of her, worked away at his station, focusing the sensors onto these portions to better identify them. "The glowing parts seem to be...crystal forests...and the brown patches seem to be shifting masses... something similar to oil, but I'm getting a lot of metallic content." "Crystal forests and fossil fuel seas...because of course. I heard there were other ships visiting this area." "We've detected debris from several ships of varying designs and composition. There seem to have been battles here." "Hmmm, I expected to have been hailed by now." "Ma'am, incoming hail..." "Speak of the harpy. On screen." "No video, only audio." "Play it." "This is the Seneschal of Sol, for what reason of you come here...?" "Seneschal...?" "It means, steward." "I am familiar with the word, I just did not expect you, I was expect Ra-, I was expecting 'Sol' to call us." "Noted." "We would very much like to meet with her." "The master is not present at the moment, but any discussion can be undertaken with me. Now state your business..." "I would prefer to meet in person. If that is not too much of a hassle." "Mortals are not particularly welcomed on this outpost, but you are not specifically banned. You and a small landing party may come down via shuttle. Trans-mat in this system is prohibited." The shuttle craft landed in front of the large golden structure. The blue and white shuttle was fairly large, and while the Commander and her crew walked out, two large mechanoid constructs crawled out from the rear. The curved constructs sported a large single optic for a face, with four small ones around them. Beneath their smooth ceramic armor plating, were bundles of metal fibers, wiring and tubes, all come together to create a slender, humanoid form, with armor plating wrapped around it. "It's as pretty as I heard." said the commander. She was in a combat suit, like most of her team, an environment suit that they found was unneeded as the air was breathable. They made their way down the path between the glowing crystal trees with their fruit of blue spheres and came towards the large structure. The golden towers were curved and ornate, gold with white lines, and held a gothic presence. Like a cathedral, it gave the impression of being in the presence of something powerful and holy. The fact that it was built for things the size of their robots also added to it. Inside, past sparkling blue waters on the fountains, they found themselves in a large hallway, with red crystals within the pillars. They also spotted mechanoids, their build more cubic, but held organic curves. Two walked past them talking as they held a datapad, and while they avoided the organics, they gave no such care as the wing of one of them knocked down one of the robots. "Hey..." said a team member. The two stopped and looked back and realized what had happened. "Oh, sorry about your drone." said the mech and they continued and went around the corner. The commander took note of how they said it, 'your drone'. The mechanical being did not apologize to the robot he knocked over, he apologized to what he assumed was the owner. Would not mechanical beings feel more sympathetic towards other mechanical beings? "An incorrect statement." Said a voice that jumped everyone, and yet knew what the commander was thinking. They turned to see a small, human sized robot, made of gold plating with white lines. He sported a face plate, leaving only the gold eyes on his marble like face visible. His body was a collection of geometric shaped, cubes and rectangles, all carved and arranged into a humanoid shape. "You..." said the commander "You're the one that spoke to us..." "Indeed." "So Raza is still building robots..." "No, the master, 'Sol', as he prefers, has ceased all major functions within this specific space-time zone." "What...?" "He is no longer in this universe, though his essence remains, and I have been left to oversee it, as mechanoids races such as that one, you past come and study here." "Mechanoid...races...things built...?" "Hardly, theirs is a biochemistry based on silicon, not carbon. However there are debates and lectures for such things, if you're interested, for now, know that this building, this place, is a place of learning, an academy. It is also home to the robotic race that has taken up residence." "So, the ones who destroy trespassers..." "Them, yes." "But, this is within Alliance space, they can't..." "This world is Sol's..." said the robot, his cheerful and somewhat happen demeanor replaced, temporarily, with the tone of a stone cold killer. "If the master wishes it so, this world is theirs." "I would have words with her...!" "He is not in this universe..." "Maybe, but I recon, you're here to see that he, she can be called back if need be." "Most astute of you." Part 2 "This stuff is weird..." said the science officer, tinkering with his scanner as he pointed at the crystals. "How so...?" asked the commander. The group were outside a pair of massive, and ornate doors, with red and white painted upon their gold surface. The commander looked around and noticed faces, a marble white face, that while similar to Raza's picture, was more masculine, more fierce looking. "These crystals, they...seem to refuse to be scanned...?" "What...?" "A weird way to explain it yes, but, when I first scan them I get the hint of something like....psychic energy, dark energy, there are particles, I can quantify or identity them, but they are there...and then they stop picking up, like the scanner's beam is being purposely reflected." "Wait...you said energy but..." "They are physical constructs I know." "We should get a sample..." "I'll advised..." said the Steward, suddenly in front of them. Again, everyone jumped. "The crystals are sacred here, tampering with them will invoke the ire of the residents..." "I have not seen any 'residents'..." "Because they seem to be avoiding you." "What, why? Afraid of organics...?" "Yes, especially those that brings, and two warmachines to a diplomatic meeting." There was silence. "We were expecting someone else..." "To be fair, if it was 'them', that you met, it would not have ended well." "Can we talk to Raza now...?!" "Oh, it is not to Lord Sol, blessed is his name, that you will speak to. You will address the Council, the Solarion Council." "Who...?" "The leaders of the mechanoids here, and thus, by decree of Sol, the ones who will decide how his assets will be used in this universe." "What?!" "Raza was one of us, one us..." "They are behind the door, and can hear you." The commander was silent, but still angry. "As a word of customs, no scanning devices, and your automatons must stay outside, they find their presence in such sacred halls...blasphemous..." "Curious, coming from a group machines..." "Also, call them that again, and one of them may 'accidentally' step on you." The commander had a look of silent shock. The doors opened to a room centered around a large spherical crystal, golden with two circles of red crystals orbiting it. "Is that...?" said the science officer, pulling out his scanner. Immediately the steward grabbed it and crushed it in his hand. "Hey..." "Better the device than you..." said a woman's voice. In walked three large robot in red and gold capes. One, the female was green and grey, another was Lavender and white, and the last, a grey and black robot, was large and intimidating in appearance. They found certain spots and the floors beneath them morphed into platforms/chairs for them to sit in. The group themselves similar, given seats as they hovered around the in front of the crystal, save the steward who floated on his own. "I take it, you're the Council..." said the commander. "Evidently..." said the female, with an annoyed tone. "Though to be complete, we are the Solarion Council." "Why 'Solarion'?" "It is the name we chose for this planet..." said the Lavender male. "We call this place the planet of Exiles..." said the commander with her own annoyed tone. "We know..." said the dark one, "we have spoken with the great one, and read his records." "She kept records...?" "...'HE', kept records..." said the female "We understand that you know the great one by his...'organic' incarnation, but unless you wish to be banished from our home, you will give 'him' the proper respect." The commander was somewhat dumbfounded. These 'robots' were religious zealots, worshiping a dead, and gone scientist as a god." "This is madness..." said her science officer "Raza..." "Shush..." said the commander, to his surprise. Even if she agreed with what he was about to say, she knew it was not the time nor place. "Solarion, Council, we came here expecting to meet with 'Sol', but we ask of you the same question. Will you help us in our war?" "Why should 'your' conflict, interest us...?" asked the female "Steward, what quarrel does she speak off?" Everyone turned to the little golden robot, who hovered about around the large orb, much like the stones. He stopped to speak, as if waking up. "The Galactic Pan Species Alliance, is at war with the Free Systems Confederation." "Huh..." said the commander "If you know that, then you know why you must help us, the-" "The conflict came ab out when an Alliance ship fired upon a Federation Science vessel, which had covertly granted immunization to a primitive species, suffering from a plague. The Alliance ship then went on to sterilize the world, to enforce 'the natural order of things'." "What...?!" said the Lavender robot. His look of shock was shared by all three robots. "Now, hold on, just a minute!" shouted the commander " you're twisting facts!" "Hardly..." said the female. "That sphere, besides being a direct link to the core, and therefore Sol, blessed be his name, also monitors the entire galaxy, and possibly beyond. It is also unbiased in its information. Which, clearly cannot be said about you. Still the fact remains, you expect us to help a group of creatures that calls wholesale genocide, 'moral'...?" "And what of 'Sol'? In his mortal incarnation, he caused a massive war!" "That war..." said the grey bot "Was caused when the moral restraints, in then, Raza's cybernetic lifeforms, was removed by militant minded members of your government, who wanted weapons. In the end, it fell to Sol, after discarding his Raza incarnation, to solve the problem, 'your people' created." "That was centuries ago..." "You brought it up..." said the female. The commander sighed. "Okay...let's say you're not going to help us, can you at least force peace?" "On what grounds...?" asked the Lavender one "Regardless of how we help you, it seems we will be unleashing the legacy of Sol to eradicate organics." "Sol helped us already...With Ra Gaan." "That..." said the female "That was sent out to deal with a force from beyond our waking world." "What does that mean...?" "What do your records say about the creature." The commander was silent. "Steward...?" Steward: "Their records describe the creature as 'an existence beyond sense', for which it was deemed top secret." The commander was shocked. She knew those files, she saw them. "What of their records on Sol?" asked the dark one. Steward: "Most files on Sol, list 'him' as the female organic 'Raza Di Heliod'. References to his nature as a higher being are held as above top secret." "Hold, on, what right do you have to be sneaking into our files?!" shouted the commander. "Commander...?" said the science officer somewhat confused and lost. "We haven't..." said the Lavender bot "The great core records all things in the galaxy. It sees all, it is the 'Eye of Sol' left behind." Steward: "Information, we have guests. A Ragni, warband is approaching the system." Part 3 "Again...?" said the Female, truly annoyed, and utterly bored with the announcement. "What do you mean again...?" said the commander, as alarmed as her companions. "My ship is out there, we need-" "Calm down..." said the Lavender one "Steward teleport the leader before us." "There is more than one..." said the Steward "Then bring them all..." In a flash of golden light, there were several saurian bipeds in little armor and loincloths. Their green, brown and red hides, had little in terms of clothing besides armor and technology, but they did have several weapons, swords, and blasters. One among them carried a staff. The group were roughly the same size as the Alliance members. The Ragni drew out their weapons, but found them disabled. "Don't bother..." said the female "Now, give us a reason why we shouldn't eradicate you lot for daring to invade our home?" The one with the staff stepped forward. "Wretch robots, it is not your place to our us about! You are less than slaves, you are tools, instruments, you dare think you have a will?" "I have the will and power to crush you and your fleet, as I see fit. Your posturing means nothing. This is the third time you have dared to attack the holy world of Sol. Council Members, what say you?" "Aye..." the two males said together. "Steward...!" The steward changed. It was no longer a robot, it was a humanoid suit of golden plate armor, with a hood, and darkness for a face ,while golden tendrils were behind it. Out of the dark slid pieces of marble that came together and merged together into a marble white mask. The commander immediately recognized the face, it was the same that was one the walls. The fact that the robots bowed on all fours to it now, spoke of what had happened. "Who calls Sol...?" the voice was cold, authoritarian and commanding. It felt like less a question and more a command to identify oneself. "We do great one..." said the Lavender bot. "Thrice these creature have dared attack, attack your holy world..." "I wouldn't call it holy, but then again I don't live here anymore..." said Sol under his breath, but loud enough for all to hear. "Let me guess has been made, and wish for me to decide..." "Who are you?" asked the Ragni. Sol floated down towards them. "I am he who made this place. Their sacred thing." "Then you will be slave to our god, for he is a god of conquest and makes slaves of the gods of our slaves! He-" Sol's eyes flashed. "What did you do...?" The three "A wish, was made, and there is a mechanism that can grant it, the stuff of you, the essence of you, it has been identified...now it will be purged. From this system." "What...?" The creature blew up in flames, as did the others and Sol began to walk away. "Hold it...!" shouted the commander who jumped down. "I demand answers...!" "Evidently..." said Sol, clearly not impressed or interested. He continued to walk. "I order you to stop!" Sol stop, and though his face did not move, clearly from his mannerisms and noises, he was laughing. "Is something funny...?" "I just...eradicated, an entire invasion force, by what your eyes could only describe as 'magic'...and you have the audacity to think you have the authority to order me about...? Normally such stupidity...irritates me, but for the moment...I find it amusing." "You killed all those people." "Incorrect, the mechanisms in this place, did base on the science in the dark places yours has relegated as myth and nonsense." "I don't believe that..." "What you believe is trivial, what is is. Also, you would rather believe, that 'I' a singular being did that, instead of unseen machines...curious..." "You're trying to confuse me." "No, you're just lacking in understanding. I'm just stating facts, facts beyond you it would seem." "Nothing..." "Is what...? Beyond you...? Pompous words, you who counts her days in decades and years. You with five senses, while some beings in this room, have seven." He motioned towards the robots, still bowing. "You three can get up now..." said Sol somewhat annoyed, in a tired sort of way. "We are not worthy..." "Did you program them to do that...?" "They are organism..." "They are robots..." "So you're pompous, bias, and a bigot as well. You may have your own definition for 'life' but the universe has its own child." "More facts...?" she said dismissively "Indeed, here is another, to answer your questions. There have always been god shaped holes in the hearts of mortals, they have chosen to fill it with my image." "Well we have filled it with science and reason." "No, you filled it with your own self righteous arrogance. You did say that I respond best to 'humility', yet clearly, you don't know what that word means..." The captain blushed embarrassed." "Look, the alliance..." "The Alliance is not my problem." "We are your people!" "No you are not. You were, but Raza died." "Of course, she was just your 'incarnation'. The Alliance is at war, people are dying, why won't you help...?" "Why don't you...?" "Excuse me?" "You mock our beliefs, 'their' beliefs, but this war of yours was not started by greed, or political ambitions, nor to facilitate and agenda. It truly was born of a difference of beliefs. You think this war is just something that will be solved...but this is a crusade. Truly a war of belief. Primitives? Their crusades are generally 'shams', the name of God invoke to excuse a war their beliefs often do not agree with. Manipulation of the masses. Why are you fighting? You had an opinion, other people did not agree with it...so you slaughtered them, and those they helped. Why?" "Who the hell do you think you are, you who hide here, playing god, you have the audacity to mock us for believing in what's best for everyone?! You're the sham, hiding in that bot." "You people really are sad...twisting the truth to fit into your small minds." She was fuming. "Honestly, if you were so right and peaceful...why are you so angry now?" The commander was silent, and ashamed. "You want my help, you don't need my help, you need to get your heads out of your backside and simply do what always knew you should've done." "What's that..." "Apologize..." "Your joking...We didn't start this war!" "You did, you have grown, you have...but in your lack of faith, and your lack of doubt...you have grown arrogant, and blind to your mistakes. You say those people had to die, why? For the natural order? That's just another way of saying 'god said they should die'." She was silent. "Let me show you something..." "Show me what...?" A golden portal opened. "What is that...?" "A portal..." he said with an annoyed tone. "What's on the other side...?" "Me...and other things..." She looked at him and immediately ran off into it. Part 4 The commander's helmet automatically covered her head, with a glass visor, and pumped breathable air into it, as she, for just a second, nearly suffocated on miasma. She looked back and the portal was gone. Was this a trap, a way to get rid of her for asking too many questions. "My word..." said Sol's voice, now booming like thunder. "Your arrogance is a thing of legend. She looked around, there was nothing but darkness, and the distant sun about to rise on the horizon. "Can you hear me...?" "Clearly, come towards the light..." She began to walk. The ground was black rocks and charred soil, with a layer of ashes. She turned on her lights to see ruined building crooked and devastated and blackened skeletons of humanoids in cars, on the road, on the side walk. "What happened here...where am I...?" "War happened here, my war, and you are in another universe..." "Impossible, that's-" "You have no idea how tired I am of hearing that phrase from being like you. Small things, tiny thing, that think because they can sail the ocean of stars they are the be-all and end-all. I have heard it all, a thousand times a thousand times. It was a broken record then, it is now... You are not were you where, and without my help you will never get back there. These are the unmistakable truths." "Okay...what happened here...?" "Look left..." She did, and her suits lights illuminated the broken, blasted and charred remains of some manner of creature. It skeletal remains awoke in her feelings of disgust. She fought them, she told herself her people had risen above such base reactions. "It is not bias that breeds disgust in your Dia, it is instincts. Your 'rational' tells you the truth for once. That thing is unnatural, and indeed, it should never have existed." "What...what was it..." "Not everything has a name, even I don't have a name, not truly, I just like being called 'Sol'. But this thing, did 'have' a name, it meant 'Red eyed beauty' and she was a mother of three...she ate two of them..." "This...is a mutant...?" "Not inaccurate, but that truly fail to capture the insidious nature of this thing, of what was done to the person she was." "What is this then...?" "A crime against the proper order of things. Continue onward." She continued down the street, and to her surprise she saw them. More of the warped humanoid skeletons, charred back, and in positions of pain, or torn apart. Among them were things like what the Steward transformed into, their remain scattered among the mutants, empty suits of armor, some of which had been smashed, pierced, and ruined utterly. Some had the marble masks that the steward had, among them were golden swords, halberds and shields. This was a war zone, 'Raza' had warred with something, some force. "What...happened here...?" "My enemy, the great enemy crawled into the minds of these people. They were like you, they believed themselves so 'enlightened', so right in whatever they did. They thought themselves 'stewards of the natural order', the arrogance of you all. They did not question what was promised. They saw it as the 'next step in evolution.' Funny, they who saw themselves beyond the need for gods, failed to see how they were becoming, nothing but devils...So I destroyed them..." "What gave you the right...?" "Look them, look at them good and hard, and if you do not vomit I will concede to your 'glorious wisdom'." "Damn you..." "So said many, but is one of the few with that right to call myself, 'steward of the proper order of things'. I see, and I act. When you left your homeworld, did you expect to find a new species every planet, yes...? Well in this universe, the galaxy brims with so many forms of life." "Your doing...?" "I am Fire, I am order, and I establish, order, biospheres, I give the eureka moments that made empires, civilizations, and further of order. There is another, he brings extrapy, chaos, new things, challenges. A mutation, or new point of view, a new situation, the old order adapts, grows stronger or..." "Or what...?" "Then comes the End. Then comes a new order. This is the cycle of fate, which my kith and I protect, enforce, and play out on the many worlds of the multiverse, and for that simple goal of prosperity." "You generate conflicts, races that would've never warred with each other, never-" "The nonexistent and the dead have no more stakes in the waking world. Even without us, you mortals find conflict on your own. Such is the reason why you came to me, no? You may not 'believe' in me, but you believe in my power." "Evidently...I still don't understand..." The commander stopped. Before her was a massive crater, gargantuan, perhaps the size of a small country. Sitting within it was a red giant, his skin like armor, his cape like a waterfall of flames, and a golden structure around his shoulders and upper chest. His face was the marble white appearance Sol so favored and his hair was a bed of flames. "Yo..." Sol said, as he waved. The commander took note of how...gargantuan he was. Even the ancient guardians Raza made, nor Sol's prior giant form, was this big, they were minuscule, as he seemed hidden in the depths of the crater only because he was hunched over. He stood up, and truly she felt...small. Part 5 Sol was massive, gargantuan, one of his arms probably dwarfed the largest ship the alliance had fielded and could only be rivaled by the theoretical 'Titan' class some people were talking about. His hair, and his cape, were bright, with the cape itself defying her understanding. "So..." she said, trying to pull her confidence back out from her shock and awe. "This is the real you..." "More or less..." replied Sol, as he looked at his hand. "What does that mean...?" "It means I am not hold up in a meatbag, or mass of servo and circuits, or event he fusion powered biology of the form I used to fight the Guardians. This is just me, but it is not all of me. Yet, for your sake, and the sake of a shorter conversation, yes. This is me." "I...I feel like your screwing with me..." "Oh, you would know. If it helps at all, this form is made of the...essence as the crystals in my chambers." "Solarion...?" "To be fair, I didn't name it that..." "What did you name it then...?" "I didn't..." "I don't..." "Not everyone needs names, not everything can be named, nor should be named. I am not some mortal who needs to bind something to names, to say 'this is mine'. What is mine, 'is mine'. However, this is not what we came here to discuss." "Why am I here...?" "So you will understand, so maybe you will make them understand, and perhaps, end your pointless shouting match across the galaxy before destroys all." "What do you mean...?" "I see across time, across timelines and up and down those river of moments. I see the choice you have made, will make, and must make. I see the points of destiny that unit them all." "If you know the future..." she said with skepticism "Then speak it." "Your Alliance will fall, and some time after the Federation will collapse as well, weakened by this war. Races like the Ragni will rise up and overthrow them and throw the galaxy into a dark age. Pain and misery will rule as the strong devour the weak, the advance enslave the primitive, so on and so forth." "Then you have to stop it!" "Why should I stop the natural progression of things." "Then what are you doing now?!" "Giving you a chance." "It sounds to me, like you're making excuses!" "You're one to talk. 'We should not interfere, it's part of their natural progression.' Interesting words, yet...I don't understand how they demand the death of innocents..." "If we interfere, who knows what..." "You don't know." She was silent. "That's the point. You call yourselves 'stewards of the proper order of things', but you're as lost as the rest of them. Worse yet, your arrogance and self-righteous posturing have blinded you to the obvious solution to your problem." "What is that...?" "You just have to apologize." She raged. "Are you mad, those savages, they" "They were a peaceful star empire, much like your own. You are so...consumed by the difference between you, so opposed to anyone who thinks you're wrong, that you have forgotten how to reason.The arrogance of you all." "And what gives you the right, what makes you so different. You don't want to help because you think you're above us all!" "You are sentient, I am Cosmic, I am above you all. You build your ships on quirks of physics and understanding of technology, and sail the ocean of stars. I seed the cosmos with life, my kind gifts the spark of life as is our divine purpose. Across a countless number of universes, I am talking, speaking, living, dying, tinkering in the background. You think we are equal, another illustration of your arrogance." "You think we are beneath you, an illustration of yours!" "Oh, then do you and your people fight 'that'?" He pointed to the side and she turned. The commander, then found her self staring at Sol again. However things were different. There was the smell of vomit in her helmet, and icon on the side of her screen told her she had relieved herself. "Did...you just...erase my memory...?" "Check your recording." She pressed some button on the keypad on her arm, and she immediately heard a recording of her screaming her head off in utter fear and terror. The curiosity got the better of her, and turned her head to the side only there was darkness, but there was something in the distance, that troubled her, bothered her. She felt like a child afraid of the dark. "I am not going to illuminate that area again, so do not bother. Simply be thankful I allowed you to keep your sanity." "What...is that...?" "That is an Eldritch Thing, an enemy of the proper order of things." "What...does that mean...?" she said tired as she sat down. "There is energy unseen, the energy of the yawning cosmos, the energy of the earth, granting life to words, and the energy in men, granting sentience, and perhaps...what some would call a soul. These...things. Theirs is the energy of devils, seeking only to corrupt and destabilize the balance between heaven, earth and man." "Is this an explanation or a sermon?" "You would be surprised how often the two overlap, but aside the point. The point is, you already see what they do to people. In your heart of hears you understand, why they are a threat." "And they don't go near out universe do they...?" "No, that is why your's is 'unimportant'." "So then, will you help us...?" "We prop up the energies of heaven, earth and man, but while we can manipulate them as we please, we do not deny them their room to grow. We will not overturn your choices, we will not enslave you...and for that you must deal with their consequences. Such is this war, and it is your choice to end it." "By apologizing...?" "By understanding...you chose your belief, over the lives of thousands, and the future of an entire species. You no longer have the right, to call anyone a 'zealot'. You have taken words that meant 'do not interfere with the destiny of others, do not play god', and turn them into, 'god says they must die'." "That is not true, we-" "Enforce the natural order, the 'cosmic plan'? What would a mortal know about what basically boils down to destiny? Are you psychics now, can you see the effects of all your choices. No, you cannot, in the absence of that certainty, without knowing the 'cosmic plan', your own logical course of action, is to act like there is none...and you have no acted 'logically'. You are blind, blind to your own arrogance, your own place in the order of things. Blind to the obviousness of things, the similarities between you and the Federation, blind to the fact...that at any moment, either of you can just call to parlay and discuss your problems like rational sentient beings." "And if I fail...?" "You will do as you always have, deal with the consequence of your actions. This is the true assistance you need, wisdom. In the end it will not matter who started this, or who ended it, all that will matter, is that people have died to decide, 'who was right'. Go." The portal opened before her "Also I have erased your recording. Their influence travels even in their image." "That's...most discomforting." "Then take comfort in this, someone is out there fighting back the dark, in place you don't know, against enemies you cannot imagine. Go in peace, child." "I don't think I will ever have peace...not again..." "Perhaps not....But you can bring peace to your people, your galaxy...and not with a gun, but with words. Go and reason." The commander walked through the portal, and like her, it was gone. "So..." said a silver giant, with red and black markings, and various features all about his body. "What happens to them?" "She goes back, and after much effort and death, she convinces the Alliance to hold peace talks with the Federation. There will be those among her group, still too arrogant to admit their wrong doing, but in time. There will be peace. Their conduct will be reevaluated and peace will do as it always does, last as long as it can." "And that's the end of the cycle?" "The end...? Nothing really ends, now does it...?"Category:SolZen321 Category:One Shots Category:Completed